New TV show - Long Island Medium

[Birki]

Just caught the last few minutes of this new show tonight on TLC, "Long Island Medium". Looks to be sort of a reality show about a woman who is a medium. Interesting that I happened to come upon it after reading/commenting in another thread about afterlife evidence being increasingly presented in the media! I've set my DVR.

[Birki]

Last night's show about a dead boy following her around for 6 days was pretty freaky. I would love to discuss more if anyone else is watching. If not, I'll let this thread die, I promise .

[Roberta Grimes]

Please don't let it die, dear Birki! Personally, I have no time for television, but I am going to try to watch it - when is it on, exactly? And please keep letting us know what it discusses!

[Half of Us]

Birki, I have watched several of the shows now. My first impression is why would someone who seems a little wacky be given such a gift? My second impression was that she really doesn't tell people all that much. For instance, the little boy followed her for all that time virtually bringing her to tears and she just did not give the mother a lot of information outside of the usual he loves you and is always with you. I will continue to watch but I see a lot of signs of cold reading.

[Birki]

I thought it was pretty amazing that the boy, Stephen, came to her and told her she had to find his mother, Susan. She then looked up in her records if she had read a Susan recently - from what they say her records are name and phone number only, found the phone number for Susan, called her, and THEN found out from Susan that Stephen had just died suddenly (from what I could tell he did not have any kind of extended illness or expectation that he would die). I hope there was no manipulation of the timeline on the part of the camera crew, but I guess you never know. I do think she is a little "zany" but she seems like fun person.

Roberta, and others who are interested, the show is on TLC on Sunday nights, 10 and 10:30 pm Eastern/9 and 9:30 pm Central. I'm sure it repeats several times during the week. More info and clips are at: http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/long...nd-medium.html.

[Bea]

I am a Psychic and Astrologer myself and I do not want to put down another psychic . . . but my issue is this. When I see celebrity psychics do their thing . . . they are all so similar in their style and technique. It is like they went to the cold reading school of psychics. They always ask leading questions.

The way I read is completely totally different. I just look at your chart and I just go. I ask no questions and I ask my client to wait until I am done to ask questions because usually I will have already answered them. I want them to really get the sense the universe is aware of them and knows exactly what is going on and is using me as a channel for that information.

I thought Theresa was entertaining in that New York brassy way and she seems to touch people, but what she does is exactly the way other celeb psychics read as well . . . they all have the same reading style. I can see how based on the cold reading criteria . . . this woman would be considered a cold reader and she is really good at it.

What annoys me about all reality shows is that they are totally scripted and they often make it seem like it is a surprise when it is not. I have done a couple of shows where the cast knew I was coming and I was told to pretend to come in as someone they don't know and then lay it on them that I am a psychic. All reality shows are fake, scripted, set up and edited.

For example, when Theresa approaches a driver who has just dropped them off and they have supposedly been in the car for awhile and after exiting the vehicle she says, “You know what I do . . . I’m a psychic medium.” The cameras are following them so obviously the person knows who she is and what she does. They have to sign a release before shooting and they have to be microphoned as well. They have producers casting the people she just walks up to I guarantee you. It is all set up beforehand. You have 12 people you don't see on camera comprising the crew.

Also stating the obvious like when she tells two working class New York guys that their deceased friend liked to “drink a lot” and that when he died, “he couldn’t breathe” Usually people can’t breathe when they are dead or about to die. Or saying a mother left jewelry . . . of course they are going to have a piece of jewelry from their mother. It makes one go . . . “OKaaaayyyyyy, this is bullshit.” It is all too simplistic.

But if she makes people happy and they feel good after seeing her ... well that is great and I wish her continued success.

[Half of Us]

Bea, I totally agree with the cold reading aspect. What generally tips me off is when they say something like "Did you lose a son?" and then, quickly, when they see an affirmation they always continue "Because he tells me he is your son". Or "Did she have an accident?", "Because she tells me she was in an accident".

I have never had a reading, but plan to shortly. I am fervently hoping there are some real mediums out there and that I find one.

[Annie]

Bea you're right, I'm so wary of psychics who do stuff on TV or who charge an arm and a leg. It makes me question their motives. Don't get me wrong, I know we all gotta make that money, but sometimes they cross that like and scream "scam artist" to me. Anyway, just wanted to welcome to you the forums, I think it's exciting that we have a psychic here now!

[Bea]

I'm happy to be here . . .

[Birki]

Welcome, Bea. Respectfully, I would say having access to someone's chart gives you a lot more information than some of the celebrity psychics you are likely referring to. I used to wonder about John Edward, and Theresa's style on the show seems very similar to his. But after reading "The Afterlife Experiments" I believe John Edward's abliites are real - his abilities have been scientifically tested, including in sessions where he had no opportunity to ask any questions or interact with the sitter at all. Also, I just tonight read the first part of Robert Schwartz's book (he posted about it on another thread today), where he worked with a number of physcis/channels/mediums in writing the book. He says that different pscyhics have different specialities and also of course they receive their information in a number of ways. In your case it sounds like you use astrological charts to help receive information. I don't know if Theresa is the real deal or not, but I don't think it is fair to bash other psychics simply because their style is different from yours without any real evidence that they are faking it.